Japan faced "further catastrophic events" that "could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island."

The Commissioner, who has been leading the 27-member states' response to the nuclear disaster, added that Japan faced "further catastrophic events" that "could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island."
In London, the FTSE 100 index tumbled to close down 1.7pc to 5598.23 - having remained firm after Japan's Nikkei bounced by 5.68pc overnight. Germany's Dax 30 closed down 2pc while in Paris, the CAC 40 dropped 2.2pc. The Stoxx Europe, which was also rocked by a down grade in Portugal's credit rating, fell 1.6pc. The index has shed nearly 5pc so far this week.
Angus Campbell, head of sales at Capital Spreads, said Mr Oettinger's comments had triggered the fall. He said: "Sellers stampeded into the market and at one point the Nikkei futures fell 300 points in under ten minutes."
By the close, Nikkei futures were down even further, indicating that traders expect more losses overnight on the Japanese markets.
A spokesman for Mr Oettinger scrambled to clarify his comments after it emerged that they were not based on any new information.